An ‘out of control’ businessman owner of an airport dragged a parish councillor by the hair after ‘throwing him to the floor in a headlock’ in a furious row over birds’ nests.

Harrogate Magistrates Court were shown mobile phone footage of the incident in the North Yorkshire village of Church Fenton between council chair Andrew Mason, 63, and businessman Chris Makin, 65.

In the video, Mr Mason is seen lying on the floor and can be heard shouting ‘get off me’, as Makin – who owns Leeds East Airport – tears at his clothes and hair trying to remove him from the front of the cherry-picker.

Mr Mason screams at him that ‘the police are on their way, you lunatic’ as well as calling Makin an ‘ignorant bully’ while swearing at him.

The argument between the pair arose when a group of local residents gathered to try to stop contractors working for Makin, ‘crowning’ trees, as they were concerned about the birds nesting there. 

Harrogate Magistrates Court were shown mobile phone footage of the incident in the North Yorkshire village of Church Fenton between council chair Andrew Mason (left), 63, and businessman Chris Makin, 65 (right)

In the video, Mr Mason is seen lying on the floor and can be heard shouting ‘get off me’, as Makin tears at his clothes and hair trying to remove him from the front of the cherry-picker

Parish council chair Andrew Mason speaks to the media outside Harrogate Magistrates Court in North Yorkshire after Chris Makin was fined £4,800 for attacking him

Mr Smith told the court that, at one point, Makin appears to instruct his workmen to move the cherry picker forward as Mr Mason is lying in front of it and the defendant can be heard on the video saying ‘forward a bit’.

Prosecutors on Thursday described how, before the footage begins, Makin had poked Mr Mason in the face, knocking off his glasses, and then ‘thrown him to the floor in a kind-of headlock’.

Michael Smith, prosecuting, said: ‘The defendant scooped Mr Mason’s hair into his hands and tried to pull him across the road by his hair.’

In a victim personal statement read to the court, Mr Mason said that, at that point, he thought ‘my life is in peril’.

Also in his statement, the parish council chair expressed dismay that he ‘could be viciously attacked in broad daylight in the village I love and where I have brought up my children’.

Mr Smith said they were concerned about the birds and that he did not have permission to remove nests nor close the road.

Prosecutors on Thursday described how, before the footage begins, Makin (above) had poked Mr Mason in the face, knocking off his glasses, and then ‘thrown him to the floor in a kind-of headlock’

Defendant Chris Makin (left) leaves Harrogate Magistrates Court. He said the fine was 250 per cent of his weekly income

Police had been called earlier and had advised Makin to stop work but the officers had left by the time the assault happened.

The prosecutor said the defendant had not shown any remorse.

Makin, of Micklefield, North Yorkshire, was found guilty of assault by beating at an earlier trial.

On Thursday, chair of the bench Phil Morris said it was an assault of a ‘persistent and prolonged nature’ and fined him £4,800.

He said this was 250 per cent of his weekly income.

Makin was also ordered to pay a £1,920 surcharge, £775 costs and £684 compensation to Mr Mason.

Richard Wright KC, defending, said his client had ‘learned a salutary lesson’ and told the court he had made a ‘massive contribution to the GDP of the UK’.

Mr Wright said Makin was ‘used to getting on with things and getting a job done in the public interest.

‘He wanted to get this job done but went about it the wrong way.’

Speaking outside the court, Mr Mason said: ‘We live in a lovely, quiet, little rural village in North Yorkshire and I was going down to the community shop to help my wife. I’ve been a parish councillor for 15 years and I believe in society and I believe in civil order and that broke down on that Sunday morning.

‘And it broke down, I believe, because there is a bully who was there who wanted to do what he wanted to do, regardless of anybody getting in his way and I think that’s wrong.

‘It was terrifying to be slumped underneath the cherry picker with a man who I believed was out of control, instructing the cherry picker operator to drive over the top of me. It’s chilling. There’s no two ways about it.’

Mr Mason said: ‘During the trial, one of the witnesses said that he believed that he witnessed what appeared to be an attempted murder, because had that cherry picker moved forward two feet then I would have died.

‘I think his behaviour was scurrilous, I think he’s a bully, and I think justice has been served. His good name no longer exists.’